Funds will be used solely to fund travel, registration and subsistence for participants in the first Gordon Research Conference on intermediate filaments to be held July 2-6, 1990, at the Holderness School, Plymouth, New Hampshire. Intermediate filaments (IF) are the ubiquitous constituents of the cytoskeletons of virtually all eukaryote cells, yet very little is known about their functions. Keratin IF of epithelial cells comprise the most complex group and have been studied in most detail. However, there have been many new discoveries with other IF systems that probably pertain to the understanding of the role of all IF. It is the intention of the conference organizers to bring together for the first time several types of investigators interested in IF biology, such as those who use cellular and molecular biological approaches in the study of the structure, expression and organization of the various types of IF, cell biologists from related areas of cytoskeletal research, as well as investigators with strong clinical backgrounds including dermatologists, neurobiologists and pathologists. It is hoped that this blending of scientists and disciplines will permit the free exchange of new findings, ideas and approaches to solving fundamental questions. Several major themes will be developed and explored during the meeting, covering each of the major areas of current high research activity. In addition to the formal presentations, there will be opportunity for discussion of informal poster presentations. The major themes are as follows: (1) regulation of expression during development and differentiation; (2) structure; (3) interactions at the nuclear and cell surface; (4) associated proteins; (5) role of phosphorylation on organization and state of assembly; (6) future directions to define functional diversity.